Do You See What I See?
by Calim1
Summary: A Christmas trip goes awry in snippets and snaps


_Well, I was planning on taking a 'sabbatical' from GSR until January but this idea smacked me upside the head and wouldn't let go. I like to think of this landing somewhere in my Happily Ever After serio-comic (or dramedy) series of which only two are written – Sometimes It's the Thought and Who's on First? This falls somewhere after the fifth or sixth story that will be written at some time in the near or distant future. _

_So, with that said - MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!_

* * *

**CSI – Do You See What I See?**

by Susan Dietz (Calim1)  
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG  
Category: GG/SS/ROMANCE/HUMOR

Summary: A Christmas trip goes awry in snippets and snaps

_© December 2010_

_Feedback is appreciated_

_Disclaimer: The characters and general situations in this story are the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer, however I reserve the rights to the specific details. It is not my intention to infringe upon their rights; this story is purely for the enjoyment of fans. Please do not redistribute in any form._

by Susan Dietz

_**December 24 – Christmas Eve**_

The night was going to be clear and crisp. Snow had been forecast. Many scoffed while others brought in supplies. Some went so far as to fix dinner early just in case the predicted snowstorm with high winds knocked out their power.

For two people the decision to continue with their plans brought mocking, finger pointing and a multitude of giggles. But none of that put a damper on what they'd been planning for two weeks - a trip into the dark of the desert to watch Santa Claus make his rounds of Nevada.

Laughter rang out amongst the carols and holiday cheer. Heads shook and eyes rolled but they raised their respective brows, tilted their heads and wished everyone a Merry Christmas before piling into their packed SUV, with their dog smiling away in the backseat, and headed out. Their destination: the Great Basin National Park and Lower Lehman Creek campground about 5 miles west of Baker, Nevada1.

They smiled at each other as their journey began; each holding of the other's hand and taking great pleasure in their own company.

This would be a great trip.

It couldn't be anything but.

CSICSICSI

_Said the night wind to the little lamb_

_Do you see what I see?_

_Way up in the sky, little lamb_

_Do you see what I see?_

"I can't believe you didn't see that," Sara Sidle called out again from the driver's side window trying to keep the mirth from her voice as Gil Grissom worked feverishly to tighten the lug nuts on the newly replaced tire before his hands and body froze.

Finishing the job, he headed for the door, Sara scrambling back into her seat as he pulled it open and hastily laid the jack and lug wrench on the floor in the backseat. He then whipped off his gloves to hold stiff hands in front of the heater, swearing he heard ice melting off his joints.

"Did you hear me?" she pleasantly asked, settling back in her seat.

Grissom merely nodded as his teeth were chattering too much to allow him to form actual words.

"Well? Didn't you see it?"

Tucking those warming hands into his armpits, he gave her a burning glare. "Apparently not," he finally managed in a curt tone, "since I _ran_ over it."

Her smirk grew larger and she pressed her lips together so she wouldn't laugh at the sight before her. Grissom, all bundled up with a multi-colored knit cap pressing his gray curls out under the brim, a turtleneck, a sweatshirt, a vest and a parka making him seem as big as a house. She didn't dare say that, though. In his current state it just wouldn't go over well. She put her hand to her mouth instead.

His eyes narrowed. "What I _do_see is that _you_ find something humorous," he stated, vexed beyond belief.

She began to nod. "I'm sorry but I do," she squeaked out as her shoulders began to shake.

Grissom glared at her then pursed his lips tighter than even he ever remembered doing before turning away from her and calmly pulling on his gloves. Clamping hands onto the steering wheel, he tried focusing on the big fat flakes piling up on the windshield and contemplated the thing foremost in his brain - this trip was not turning out exactly as he'd planned. So perhaps his plan had been too perfect in preparation. It should've gone like clockwork for he'd had everything worked out down to the hour. But now it was apparent that it was the execution that needed work.

Execution.

He found a slight grin emerging. No one would question an abandoned car on the side of a snow filled road. Nor would they notice a man piled high with warm clothes trudging down the road with a shovel over his shoulder. He quickly rubbed his eyes at the thought. Of course, they'd notice.

"Gil."

He jumped a foot and banged his thighs against the steering wheel, missing the family jewels by a mere inch. Oh, what joy that would bring.

"What?" he sneered hoping she couldn't read his mind. She had a tendency to do such things.

"The spouse is always the first suspect."

Squinting at her then, he narrowed his eyes even further noting the effort it appeared to be taking to keep the smile off her face. It was then he found his own mouth working its way out of its tight button to turn into something that looked suspiciously like a slight curl of the lips.

Upon seeing that, Sara knew she was in the clear and forged on from there. "I'm sorry," she sincerely said placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. "I admit I'm laughing at you."

"Gee, thanks."

She tried not to giggle. "It's just . . . well, you look so cute when you get worked up. I can't help but grin. And those curls sneaking out from under your hat makes me wonder about what you were like as a teenager breaking all the girls' hearts."

His eyes moved off her sparkling ones and passed over her cheeks so red from the cold, accenting the paleness of her skin, skin he loved to touch and savor. Relaxing his clenched jaw, he gave a slight shake of the head and sighed.

"There weren't any girls' hearts to break I'm afraid," he admitted, an indifferent look crossing his suddenly boyish face.

Sara moved a gloved hand toward his bearded cheek knowing he was not as apathetic as he appeared. "Oh, I bet there were too many to count. You just didn't see them."

He shrugged and her smile grew along with the love that dwelled within her for this man, this so very gentle man who could make her heart sing with one look, one word, one kiss. Of course he could be as exasperating as hell and drive her to the brink but that was part of the package, a package she'd gladly pay extra for if necessary.

"Should we move along before some poor ranger has to get out of his car in this blizzard and ask what us two young'uns are doing?" she asked watching him turn those beautiful blue eyes her way along with a genuine smile.

Reaching for the keys, he started the engine, easing them back out onto the road, fingers crossed that the snow would let up and they could actually get to their destination.

It was 6:00pm.

They only had six hours left.

CSICSICSI

_A star, a star_

_Dancing in the night_

_With a tail as big as a kite_

_With a tail as big as a kite  
_

"Look!" Grissom called as he pointed toward the night sky. Sara quickly looked up to see a bright shining star, the only one visible within the tiny crack between clouds.

"Do you suppose it's the North Star?" she asked tightening her muffler about her neck.

"Can't tell," he answered losing sight of the sky light as the clouds closed back in, a steady breeze starting up again to push against his back. He returned his attention to Hank. "Are you done yet? It's cold out here you know."

The boxer kicked the ground a few more times then looked up at his master with a happy smile.

"Oh, no," Grissom warned, wrapping the leash about his hand. "We are _not_ running. Not now. Do you understand, mister?"

The boxer's smile grew bigger still and he took off pulling Grissom into a sliding follow that soon turned into a sliding drag that ultimately became a loud oomph when he hit the ground. Sara's startled 'oh' was quickly followed by a 'Hank, stop!' and he found himself rolling into Hank's solid back.

"Are you all right?" Sara asked kneeling next to him, hands on his back as he carefully pushed himself up onto his elbows.

"I think everything works. Give me a minute."

With that he sat up and rested on his knees rolling his shoulders and tilting his head from one side to the other listening to a few cracks along his vertebrae. He winced a time or two then gave out a groan when her hands settled on his shoulders for a quick rub. Hank, head down, came slowly toward his master, a rueful whine coming their way. Grissom reached down and grabbed his face.

"When I say no running I _mean_ no running. Got that?"

Hank stared at Grissom for a moment then licked his face before leaning heavily against him.

"My two boys," Sara said with a shake of her head as Grissom gave Hank a hug.

CSICSICSI

_Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy_

_Do you hear what I hear_

_Ringing through the sky shepherd boy_

_Do you hear what I hear_

"Was that . . ?" Grissom asked as he peered out the windshield.

"What?" Sara asked pulling up the zipper on her parka.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like thunder."

"Well, the Little Drummer Boy was just playing," she said with a shrug. "Maybe it was him." She smirked at him and he returned the look.

"Acoustically the Little Drummer Boy wouldn't be able to produce such a sound so it must've been thundersnow2," he related as he slowed down another 5 miles an hour in hopes of being able to see a bit better through the snow slamming against them.

"Which means that bright light I saw a few minutes ago wasn't Santa's afterburner but lightning," Sara added.

"You can't have thunder without lightning but I like your Santa idea," he said as she smiled. "It's rare to hear the thunder during a snowstorm since the snowfall acts as an acoustic suppressor. We've encountered a special event on our way to see another special event. We're blessed," he said with a cheerful smile. "Now if it would just stop snowing flakes the size of the car then I wouldn't have to worry about crashing us into a ravine." He huffed away his smile and shook his head. "Whose idea was this anyway?"

"Yours," she plainly answered as he glanced at her.

"You could've lied and taken the heat," he said.

"Why?"

"Because you're my wife and you're supposed to talk me out of crazy stuff like this."

"Normally you'd be right," she agreed. "But this time I didn't want too."

"Why not?"

"Because I liked the way your eyes sparkled when you talked about it."

That stopped him flat and he turned a puzzled look at her. "My eyes?" he asked.

"Yep, your eyes." He raised a brow. "You were so excited about going to see Santa and I think I got a glimpse of what you were like when you were a little kid. It made me happy to see _you_ happy again."

Both brows went up this time. "What do you mean happy again?"

She reached out to touch his leg. "It's been a hard couple of months, Gil. It seemed like every case involved kids and every one of them landed in your lap. I tried to help but I don't think I did you much good."

Surprise crossed his face. "Of course you did," he softly answered placing his hand over hers.

She shook her head. "You just got quieter and quieter. I was afraid you would disappear on me. I was worried, Gil. You wouldn't talk to me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did but you weren't listening."

"Oh." He wrapped his fingers about hers. "I'm sorry, honey. It was never my intent to shut you out. I just . . . I have a hard time separating my anger from those bastards who attack children and everything else. People should stay away from me when these cases come through."

"And all _I_ want to do is hold you and remind you that _we_ are the knights in shining armor who do everything we can to save them and it's not our fault if we can't."

"But I want to do so much more. It chips away at me when we lose one."

"I know. And that's why we're here, driving through a snowstorm, in hopes of catching sight of Santa powering his way over Nevada because it'll make everything else seem reasonable if we can see the impossible."

He smiled at her then picked up her hand to kiss the back of it, pulling it away when a bright glow lit up the windshield.

"Holy," he muttered slowing the car even further to inch past a snow covered tree now aflame.

"Who knew?" she said feeling the warmth of his grasp seep through her gloves sending a warm glow through every part of her.

CSICSICSI

_A song, a song_

_High above the tree_

_With a voice as big as the sea_

_With a voice as big as the sea  
_

"Have you noticed that either I have to pee or Hank has to pee every ten miles or so?" Grissom stated as he zipped up. "I'm going to start drinking cranberry juice when we get back," he mumbled.

"It's beautiful here now that the storm has let up a bit," Sara said as she looked around. "I always thought it was neat that when darkness falls the snow manages to put out a glow, seeming to light the way."

"Yeah, so when you sink in hip deep," he began as he headed back to the SUV, "then you can see what's going to freeze you to death real good."

She softly punched him and he smiled before taking her into his arms and laying a big kiss on her cold lips. She responded in kind then stiffened in his grasp at the sudden loud snarling coming from behind him.

Grissom's eyes fell on Hank's disappearing form as he slunk away from the car window. "Did I just hear?" he whispered, swallowing heavily as she peeked over his shoulder.

Her eyes grew big at the sight and she quickly nodded. "Yes."

"Um, I think we should move back into the car."

"Slow or fast?"

"Is he moving?"

"No," she answered in a small voice.

"Then I think slow would be better," he answered carefully reaching for the door and easing it open. "Can you sneak in there?"

"Doesn't matter if I can't," she earnestly answered jumping inside and pulling him in with her.

Closing the door behind him, he finally let go of a heavy breath and couldn't help the slight shake of his hands. Sara grasped them tightly and smiled at him. He could see her lips quivering and wrapped an arm around her as they both peered out the window to watch a mountain lion saunter toward them and lift its face toward the glass, its breath steaming it up before walking slowly back into the trees.

Silence filled the interior. It was Grissom who finally broke it.

"Well . . . you can't say I don't take you exciting places."

He grinned at her and she leaped on him, dropping a long and passionate kiss on his waiting lips to which he responded wholeheartedly, of course. And then again once they'd gathered more air just for fun.

CSICSICSI

_Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king_

_Do you know what I know_

_In your palace wall mighty king_

_Do you know what I know_

"Did you know that Clement Moore3 was an academician?" he asked of Sara as he slowed down even further. "He loved language and learned the ancient dialects of Greek, German and Hebrew."

"He also loved his wife with a passion not often seen in that day and age," Sara added. "He told her mother that he would carve his wife's name into trees." She smiled at that knowing her man had done the same thing except his name had been there as well with a heart wrapped about it.

"They had nine kids," Grissom said with a shudder. "No wonder she died young."

"Sounds like they had some good times though," she gave back with a wiggle of her brows.

He gave out a short laugh. "They surely did."

She leaned over to change one CD for another, listening as Bing Crosby's White Christmas filled the car.

"What were your Christmases like?" she asked.

"Fun," he answered. "We'd have our big Christmas dinner with relatives or just us on Christmas Eve. Then in the morning mom would have a big breakfast for dad and me which I'd rush through so we could get to the presents."

Sara laughed at that seeing little Grissom packing it in with food flying all over the place.

"It was usually just the three of us on Christmas morning. The music would play and the lights on the tree would brighten up the room. And there would always be a present or two with different wrapping right out in front."

"From Santa?"

"Yep. And it was always something I really wanted."

She noticed his pleased expression begin to falter a bit but kept silent.

"Then after dad died it all changed. We'd still have Christmas Eve dinner and mom would still make the big breakfast but the feeling was gone. I finally told her that we didn't have to do all that stuff because I knew it just reminded her of dad. She told me that was bunch of nonsense and gamely continued on. But it was never the same. She missed him. He made it fun."

"You missed him, too."

"Yeah, I did. Still do," he said running a gloved hand over his forehead. "So I came up with the idea of spending our Christmas' at local shelters doing what we could. That became our Christmas until I left for college." His sad expression disappeared as he glanced at Sara. "But then you happened. You brought back Christmas to me – the tree, the music, the decorations." He smiled. "It was like being reborn in a way, reawakening feelings I'd long ago buried."

"Was it bad? Feeling those things again?" she asked worried that she'd hurt him in some way.

He shook his head. "It made me _feel_ again, Sara," he said glancing toward her. "That's not always a bad thing."

"I know. It's just . . . well, with your father . . ."

"Christmas is a time for family and friends and happiness. The music, the decorations; the fact that everyone seems so happy. I love how it puts a smile on your face and how giddy you get when you come home from shopping sure that you've gotten me exactly what I need when all I really need is you." He smiled. "_That_ is what Christmas means to me now. You, Sara. Us together. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek then ran a hand down his arm. "You are a sweet talker, you know that?"

"I mean every word."

"I know. That's what makes it sweet." She grinned then, happy with herself and her man.

"What about you?" he asked. "Did you ever have any good Christmases after you were put into foster care?"

"Actually I did," she admitted. "Some of the foster families were bad, some were good. But I'll always remember the Stanton's. Amanda and Robert. I remember them as being old but, in reality, they were probably in their early 30's. They had three of us and we came to them together in late summer. I was deathly quiet and they did their best to make sure I knew they were there for me, for all of us. I didn't respond well then."

"I never would've guessed," he said with a grin as she smirked.

"Anyway . . . December came and I was doing my best to ignore it which was difficult since it was always my favorite time of year when I was home. That's when my parents got along and tried to make it a happy time. But after I was taken away, I never could recapture that feeling. I felt . . . disconnected."

"What changed?"

She smiled. "They took us to see Santa at the mall. I knew Santa couldn't help me or my situation. I'd been asking for a long time and nothing had happened. That's when I discovered Santa had limitations." Grissom nodded his head in understanding.

"I remember when I found that out as well."

"So when they put me on his lap I wouldn't say a word. And the funniest thing happened. He looked at me, smiled and told me to hold on for one day I'd find peace. Handed me a candy cane, kissed my forehead and handed me over to Amanda." Grissom's brows moved up his forehead and she nodded. "I know. It threw me, too."

"Did you tell anyone?"

She shook her head. "No, I kept that little secret to myself. Come Christmas morning I was handed a present by Robert who told me it was propped against the front door with my name on it. I didn't know anyone and couldn't figure out who would give me a present. I opened it like it was a bomb or something."

"What was it?" he asked seeing her smile grow bigger.

"It was a book – Uncle Wiggly4. I opened the cover and it was inscribed 'To my little Sara – Merry Christmas. You will find peace. Just hold on. SC.' Today I might think old Santa was a predator but then I latched onto it. He was offering me a bit of hope." She looked at him then. "I still have it tucked in with all my other books. I take it out and look at it when I forget what it's like to be surprised."

Grissom quickly glanced at her and away, brows furrowing. "I hope I surprise you once in awhile," he softly said.

She rubbed his leg. "Every day, handsome."

"No, really, Sara."

She watched a grimace coming on and decided to nip it in the bud. "Did you know that it would never have occurred to me to climb a mountain to see Santa? And surprise, surprise but who should think of it? The last person I thought would."

She beamed at him and he felt himself sitting up a bit straighter. Perhaps this wasn't such a silly idea after all.

CSICSICSI

_A child, a child_

_Shivers in the cold_

_Let us bring him silver and gold_

_Let us bring him silver and gold_

Less than an hour later he was rethinking his silly idea.

It could've had everything to do with the pitched angle in which they now awkwardly sat. Or his sore ribs after having bounced against the steering wheel as they'd come to a sudden, but not unexpected, stop. But the thought probably entered his head when a large tree branch fell against, and cracked, the windshield causing him to overcorrect and run directly into a snowdrift.

A very deep snowdrift.

"Do you think the ranger will find us?" Sara asked as he continued to fiddle with their sleeping bags after he'd gotten the backseat to fold down.

"They'll find us in the spring with the snow melt," he answered nonchalantly just before grabbing his side.

"Gil, let me do that," she said.

"No, no. I'm fine."

She shook her head. "I don't know how you managed to hurt yourself. You've got so many clothes on."

"Me, either," he answered finally matching the zippers to make one big sleeping bag. "Got it."

She smiled at the pleased look on his face. "You're adorable."

"You say that now. Wait until they find our frozen blue corpses in the morning. Won't be too adorable then."

"I can see the headline now," she began. "Famous Entomologist and CSI discovered in the Great Basin, wrapped together in a sleeping bag frozen to death. Their dog was the only survivor."

Grissom chuckled. "Dog feasts on bodies to survive."

They both looked at Hank who tilted his head causing them both to laugh.

"Well, at least one of the Grissom family would be able to carry on in our stead," Sara said reaching for his outstretched hand.

"Very fitting," he commented holding onto her as she climbed over the seat.

He watched for a bit as she removed her boots and parka and slid inside the warmth of the bag then turned a smiling face up to him. He grinned back. "You know I once read a study," he began as he leaned closer to her, "where one Kwakiutl in a blanket froze during winter. But two Kwakiutls, in the same blanket, were warmer."

She shook her head and giggled. "I had a feeling you were going to start quoting 'The Great Race'5."

"It seems appropriate don't you think?" he asked as he kissed her left temple. "Blizzard conditions." A kiss to her right temple. "Stuck in a snowdrift." A kiss to a cheek this time. "A beautiful woman by my side." The other cheek followed. "The only thing missing is the champagne," he finished with a quick peck to the end of her nose.

"And Professor Fate and Max," she reminded him.

He dipped his head. "That's true. Hank is versatile. He can play both parts."

She giggled then and lifted up the other side of the bag. "Well, this Kwakiutl wants just one thing."

"And what's that?" he asked, his body temperature rising at the sound of her husky voice.

Her grin turned into a sultry look. "She can't wait to share her blanket."

"Ooh, I think I'm warming up," he quickly stated as he unzipped his parka and threw it over a blanket covered Hank before slipping out of his boots then inside the sleeping bag to snuggle up close to his wife. "Not everything on me is frozen you know."

She wrapped her arms about him then smiled. "I don't know. Something sure is stiff."

He laughed. "_You_ are a bad woman."

CSICSICSI

_Said the king to the people everywhere_

_Listen to what I say_

_Pray for peace people everywhere_

_Listen to what I say_

"Gil, wake up," Sara mumbled pushing on her husband, trying to get some response. "Gilbert!"

"Mmm," was all she heard from him.

"Wake up. I hear something."

"Mmheard what?"

"I don't know, but something." He groaned again then rubbed at his face. "There it is again."

This time he made an effort to listen and damned if he didn't hear . . . something. Pulling his face out of the sleeping bag, he gasped at the sudden cold that sent shivers through him then listened again. His eyes widened and brows flew up his head.

"Did you hear it?" she asked feeling him tense behind her.

"I did," he answered sitting up and dragging her with him. "There it is again."

She looked at him. "Do you think?"

He gave her a bit of a grin. "Let's look."

Scrambling out of the bag and slipping on their boots, Grissom pulled the latch on the door and found he had to give it a good shove before it would open, letting in a chill wind. Quickly grabbing their mufflers and pulling them up over their mouths, they slipped out of the car, shutting the door on Hank to keep whatever warmth remained inside inside. They scoured the sky.

Frowning at the thick clouds covering the stars that took away any chance of seeing what they hoped to see, they looked anyway until the cold became unbearable. Quickly moving back into the SUV they bundled back up in the sleeping bag and lay dejectedly in each other's arms.

"Well, it was a good idea," she finally said resting her head under his chin.

"I guess we should've stayed at a lower elevation, stayed out of the snow. I just thought . . ." He trailed off and sighed.

She didn't like that sound. "Do you know that this is the most fun I've ever had in the snow?" she said looking up at him. He gave her an incredulous look. "I'm sitting in the middle of a beautiful landscape with the man I love. Just the two of us and Hank, of course, spending time just . . . being."

"But we're crashed on the side of the road."

She smiled at him. "That's what Christmas is, Gil."

"Alone in a forbidden landscape with the possibility of becoming part of that landscape over eons of time?"

"No," she said with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. "Being in the company of those who mean the most to you. And you, Gil, mean the most to me."

"Really?" he questioned looking into those deep brown eyes.

Sara nodded. "You mean more than life to me. Without you what would be the point?"

She watched his eyes begin to glisten and quickly raised her hands to his cheeks just before he crushed her to him.

"I love you so much, Sara. I don't know how I managed all those years without you. Thank you for loving me."

"Oh, baby, I could do nothing else but love you."

She stroked the back of his head and held on, her eyes staring out the iced over window only to latch onto something bright in the distance winging its way through the air.

"Gil, look out the window."

"What?"

"Look out the window. Quick."

Pulling back from her he rubbed at the glass, their breath catching at the sight before them. It couldn't be mistaken for anything except what it was: streaks of silver and gold arcing beneath the clouds. Their eyes latched onto the sight then, moments later, it was gone replaced with something that sounded suspiciously like the tinkling of bells echoing off into the night.

Silence filled the car.

Even Hank was quiet as his people continued to stare out the window, both of their mouths hanging open. Grissom recovered first.

"Did you . . ?" He stopped himself. How could he put into words what they possibly saw . . . words that made sense anyway.

She nodded. "I did," came her quiet answer as she turned to look at him.

"Ah," was all he could manage next. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but then simply shook his head.

It was then his watch struck midnight and its alarm sounded making both of them jump, breaking them out of their stupor. Grissom fumbled with the buttons and finally turned it off sending her a shy smile.

"Sorry. I wanted to make sure I wished you a Merry Christmas before you did. Merry Christmas, honey."

His brows rose and a half smile took over his mouth to which she responded with a large grin, a big hug and a long kiss.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

Sliding back down into the sleeping bag, they snuggled together, both with their eyes fixed to the window . . . just in case.

Hank looked between the two of them then out the window, wondering what was going on then decided it didn't really matter. All that mattered was he was with his people. He dropped his head on his paws and promptly went to sleep.

CSICSICSI

_The child, the child_

_Sleeping in the night_

_He will bring us goodness and light_

_He will bring us goodness and light  
_

"So how did your little Santa chasing trip go?" Jim Brass asked as both Grissom and Sara drifted into the break room three days later, Greg and Warrick waiting patiently for assignments, Nick and Catherine following in behind them.

"It was quite an experience," Grissom stated before pouring himself some coffee.

"How so?" Nick asked as he settled at the table.

"Did you know that the Ranger Station at Great Basin is really posh," Sara offered as she put her lunch in the fridge. "They not only have a full kitchen but a rec room, a 42" TV, a Wii system _and_ a gym."

"Whoa," Warrick commented. "Looks like we're in the wrong line of work."

"How come you know so much about the Ranger Station?" Catherine asked as Grissom sat down at the table, followed by Sara. "Thought you two were going Santa chasing."

"Let's just say," Grissom began, "that you shouldn't be driving through a snowstorm with hurricane level winds up the side of a mountain if you were born in California."

"And had to change a tire halfway up," Sara added.

"And provided a windshield for a tree branch to crack."

"And don't forget the mountain lion that nearly caught you with your pants down."

Grissom shivered. "Yes, I don't recommend that. Then there was the thundersnow. Didn't know a tree covered in snow could go up like that," he said with a snap of his finger.

"Which threw me," Sara said, "'cause I thought he knew everything." Greg snorted at that.

Grissom waggled his finger. "Not everything just a lot of things."

As the two of them stopped their discourse on everything that went wrong on their trip, Brass just couldn't help himself.

"So, you had a really bad Christmas then?" He watched Grissom flirt with a response then simply turn to Sara and give her a soft smile.

"No, Jim. It was one of the best Christmas' I've ever had."

Sara's smile reflected her husband's when she realized he would guard their secret even from their closest friends. It pleased her to no end. "I second that," she said positively glowing.

It was then everyone else felt like an outsider wondering what it was they weren't telling them. But then they thought maybe they didn't really want to know. After all, these two were married and what happened between married people stayed with married people.

At least in Vegas.

* * *

_1__ The distance between Las Vegas and Baker, Nevada (where the Great Basin National Park is located) is 292 miles which should take approximately 4.5 hours to reach._

_2__ Thundersnow or a thunder snowstorm does occur. Lightning requires both ice crystals and liquid water in a cloud with strong updrafts. Since winter storms usually have mostly ice crystals, thunder is uncommon in winter storms. _

_3__ Clement Moore is most famous for writing 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'_

_4__ Uncle Wiggly – Wiggly Longears is the main character of a series of children's books begun in 1910._

_5__The Great Race (1965) – A great film made by Blake Edwards and starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. I recommend it._

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Well, there you have it. Here's hoping all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Be safe and may Santa bring you everything you want.  
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